From Religious Rationality to Compositional Rationality: 
Exploring the Ideological Shift in Medieval Western European
Christian Music through the Decline of Improvisational 
Elements

Chang Liu

doi:10.70711/rcha.v3i4.7287

From Religious Rationality to Compositional Rationality: Exploring the Ideological Shift in Medieval Western European Christian Music through the Decline of Improvisational Elements

Chang Liu

Abstract

Throughout the prolonged Middle Ages, the influence of religious rationality permeated all facets of social life, serving as the supreme principle governing artistic creation. Paradoxically, it was precisely under this dominance of religious rationality that Western European
music gradually developed a distinct style diverging from Eastern traditions and embarked on an artistic trajectory, reflecting the emergence
and rise of rational compositional consciousness. The ideological shift from religious rationality to compositional rationality marked a pivotal
turning point in the evolution of Western European music, bridging the remnants of classical civilization and heralding the dawn of modern
music. The transformation in musical formsspecifically the withdrawal of improvisational elements in religious musicserves as the key
to unraveling the ideological transition in medieval Western European musical thought.

Keywords

Middle Ages; Religious music; Musical thought

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References

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/rcha.v3i4.7287

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